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The acoustic detection of potential predator in domestic horse (Equus caballus)
Vidimská, Tereza ; Komárková, Martina (advisor) ; Fuchs, Roman (referee)
Equidae belong to a group of large herbivores, which survival in natural environment depends beside others on their capability of fast predator recognition and detection. They can sensually recognise a possible threat in advance and react by immediate escape, which increases their survival. Also domestic horses still show very sensitive reaction to sudden (unexpected) stimuli. So we assume, that the ability to detect predator immediately is conserved despite of the long domestication process. The supportive indirect evidence is given by the successful breeding of the feral herds all over the world. However, studies showing the direct reaction of domestic horse toward the canids (as the most common predators), are still absent. Aim of the work was to find, if the horses (Equus caballus) could recognize acoustic sign of dogs like predators and if they could recognize the level of potential threat according to the number of predators, similarly as their wild ancestors. The recordings of barking of big dog breeds were obtained and modified. The final recording contained the set of barking coming from one individual or three different. The recording was played to the experimental horses, under controled conditions, together with white sound as a control. The reactions were recorded. Altogether 12 horses out of...
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Incubation behavior of the arctic tern Sterna paradisaea in extreme conditions of northern tundra
Hromádková, Tereza ; Pavel, Václav (advisor) ; Praus, Libor (referee)
Short breeding period and harsh climatic conditions are major limiting factors to which birds have to adapt in northern tundra regions. Despite this fact, dozen species of birds annually migrate into these regions to increase their chances to breed successfully. My diploma thesis focuses on incubation behaviour of the Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea). The research for my thesis took place on the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard, in two particular locations: Adolfbukta and Longyearbyen. By using the method of continuous video recording, I described incubation behaviour of this specie in detail. Human activity is very different on each of Adolfbukta and Longyearbyen. On site Adolfbukta study was conducted during seasons 2012 and 2014, both with different predation pressure. Having known that, I could evaluate the impact of human activity as well as the impact of different predation pressure on incubation behaviour and breeding ecology of Arctic tern. The presence of human close to the colony had significant effect on incubation behaviour. Due to higher disturbances, incubating birds tended to leave their nests more often, attention paid to the nest was smaller and calm incubation (sleeping on the nest) was shorter by a half. Human activity had no effect on other displays such as average clutch size or...
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Effect of synurbanization on bird populations
Zeman, Vít ; Lučan, Radek (advisor) ; Šálek, Martin (referee)
Currently we can observe the expansion of human environment to the countryside all around the world. As the needs of man for space grow, so do the cities and urban environments expand. Ever more types of organisms are adapting to this environment, which allows us to record the changes that appear, either on the population or on the individual level. This Bachelor thesis is trying to summarize the existing knowledge of the effect of urbanization, and related synurbanization, on popualtions of birds, in the form of a literary research. This being an extensive topic, the thesis is focused on specific details, concerning primarily differences in population density, nesting success, condition of the birds, and predation pressure in urban and natural communities. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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Surviving of Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) chicks in agriculture landscape
Kubelka, Vojtěch ; Šálek, Miroslav (advisor) ; Cepák, Jaroslav (referee)
The variability of egg-size within a bird species reflects different reproductive investments and, besides the intrinsic constraints and particular female quality, it can be affected by environmental factors, too. Moreover, the egg-size predetermines the chick performance. The knowledge of factors influencing precocial chick survival is crucial for better understanding of life-history strategies as well as for endangered species conservation. The Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) represents a suitable model species for investigation of climate variables effects on egg-size and also to study factors influencing chick survival. Eggs in a total of 714 nests were measured during 13 breeding seasons over period 1988-2014 in South Bohemia and 293 lapwing chicks from 100 broods in 37 localities were monitored in 2013-2014. The mean egg-size through the whole season is positively affected by March precipitation, March clutches also negatively by minus temperatures in March. The higher intensity of rainfall there is during March, the bigger eggs are laid in March and the steeper is slope of decline in mean egg-size during season. This decline is more profound with lower rainfall in April. The effect of habitat is not significant. The body mass and condition of hatchlings is positively correlated with the...
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Diurnal vertical migrations of zooplankton in a stratified mountain reservoir
Adámek, Radek ; Hořická, Zuzana (advisor) ; Stuchlík, Evžen (referee)
The thesis - a literature review - was aimed at the phenomenon of diurnal vertical migration (DVM) of zooplankton, in relation to particular conditions in the Josefův Důl reservoir in the Jizera Mountains (northern Bohemia, Czech Republic). The area of the Jizera Mts has a very sensitive geology, and thus suffered a strong anthropogenic acidification in the second half of the 20th century. The consequence was a long-term degradation of chemistry and biology of soils and surface waters. The waters in the upper plateau of the mountains were fishless, with a low diversity and biomass of both the phytoplankton and zooplankton. Recovery from acidification is slowest in the deepest reservoir, Josefův Důl. Due to its morphology, thermal stratification, newly re-stocked brook charr population, and invertebrate predators' occurrence, the zooplankton distribution in the vertical profile is expected to be irregular, with DVM. The following diploma project, oriented to seasonal changes and vertical distribution of the zooplankton in the Josefův Důl reservoir, should contribute to long-term data on biological recovery of the reservoirs from acidification, and explain the role of biotic parameters in zooplankton succession.
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Reciprocal predation between non-native crayfish and salmonids Who eats whom?
MÜLLEROVÁ, Lucie
Signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) is important invasive species in European freshwaters. Its influence on other freshwater organisms is well known from the literature, as well as direct and indirect impact on fish assemblages. This work was focused on the experimental evaluation of non-indigenous signal crayfish as a predator of salmonids compared to indigenous noble crayfish (Astacus astacus). Moreover, the possible importance of young-of-the-year signal crayfish as a prey for salmonids was assessed. There were carried out experiments using eggs and hatchings of grayling (Thymallus thymallus) as a prey for adult and subadult specimens of both, signal and noble crayfish. Next experiment used young-of-the-year signal crayfish as a prey for young-of-the-year of brown trout (Salmo trutta). Results showed that the danger of signal crayfish for grayling eggs is slightly higher. However, detected differences were surprisingly lower and in the majority of parameters even insignificant. In the case of grayling hatchings, was not detected any significant difference at all. The abilities of both tested species to prey on eggs and hatchings are therefore very similar, comparable. Even so, the effect of signal crayfish can be importantly higher in natural conditions because of its more dense populations, higher growth rate and fast maturation. In accordance to our findings, it is evident that brown trout has no so high effect of crayfish juveniles compared with crayfish effect on salmonids early developmental stages. Crayfish are therefore more likely able to limit salmonids than conversely.
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Bioacoustics in frogs
Karochová, Lucie ; Šandera, Martin (advisor) ; Schneiderová, Irena (referee)
This thesis is focused on bioacoustics in frogs. The purpose was to compare known informations about vocalization types, influence of sexual selection on males call, chorusing behavior and influence of predation. Bioacoustics research was carried on many frog species from different part of world, with most experiments being carried on neotropical frogs, specifically Physalaemus pustolosus. Acoustics communication is a wide-spread phenomenon across the animal kingdom. The theme of bioacoustics is studied quite extensively. The most studies is focused on birds or mammals, and the study of frogs, especially the European species, is poorly known. The influence of sexual selection on males vocalization is well known, while research in other evolutionary principles such as the effect of predator is studied only marginally. Research on new types of frogs tend to focus on the description of vocalization types that occur in a given species. In addition to in detail are studied individual voice parameters such as frequency or intensity and chorusing frogs are determined mainly by call-timing or synchronization. Newly was discovered ability of some frogs generate ultrasonic harmonies and surprising discovery was female vocalization as well. Generalization of facts is quite difficult because of the lack of...
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Morphological strategies of photoautotrophic protists under various environmental conditions.
Ševčíková, Tereza ; Kulichová, Jana (advisor) ; Pichrtová, Martina (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to provide a comprehensive overview of morphological adaptation of photoautotrophic protists to various environmental conditions and to describe the influence of their shape and size for different life strategies. Thesis summarizes overview of the main factors affecting the natural mikroalgal community and shows their relevance for life of photoautotrophic protists. These factors include availability of nutrients, pH, temperature, penetration of light and predation. Next part focuses on different methodological approaches and attitudes, how to investigate, measure and explain morphological features.
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Distribution and ecology of the turbellarian Dugesia tigrina in the Vltava river and selected Prague brooks and its interactions with native turbellarian species
Sevruková, Natálie ; Mourek, Jan (advisor) ; Hanel, Lubomír (referee)
Key words: (Dugesia tigrina), ecology, bioindication, predation, Vltava, Prague The main goal of my thesis was the research of occurrence and ecology of planarians of the group Ttricladida in the Vltava River and some brooks flowing through the territory of Prague. The emphasis was given on the non-native North American species - Dugesia tigrina. The research can be divided into field surveys of population size and ecological requirements of planarians and a laboratory experiment, in which I have investigated the predation behavior of planarians. During my fieldwork, which took place from August 22th to November 11th 2009, I have found out that the Dugesia tigrina occurs only in the Vltava river, in six of the nine studied localities. During the research it was not found in the studied brooks. It chooses localities with a natural shoreline, deeper ground, rapid water and it lives in company of mainly Dugesia polychroa. It appeared at moderately polluted places. During the predation experiment, which ran from December 17th 2009 to October 20th 2010 at a temperature of 14 řC and triple repetitions in all mutual combinations of five planarian species, intraspecific cannibalism and frequent asexual reproduction of Dugesia tigrina was comfirmed. The experiment showed mainly preying of indigenous...
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The effect of nest quality for breeding success in Great Reed Warbler
Jelínek, Václav ; Procházka, Petr (advisor) ; Fuchs, Roman (referee)
Nests are key structures for the reproduction of majority of avian species and as such they should be subject to natural selection. Six hypotheses have been suggested to explain variance in avian nest size. In my master thesis I evaluate their validity in the Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus). First two hypotheses describe responses of nest size to predation and brood parasitism. These two selection pressures may lead to the reduction of nest size, but no evidence of their impact on nest dimensions was obtained. However, I found a significant but negative relationship between the probability of nest predation and soft nest height. No such relationship was found between the probability of brood parasitism and nest size characteristics. The incidence of brood parasitism was affected only by nest visibility from the nearest cuckoo perch site and distance from open water. More visible nests suffered heavier parasitism while those located deeper in reed beds were better protected from cuckoo parasitism. Another four hypotheses describe selection pressures which favour large nests or some of their functional parts. The thermoregulatory hypothesis, the sexual display hypothesis and the nest support hypothesis did not explain nest size variation. I found support for the clutch size hypothesis,...
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